What Is a VPN Gateway?

How VPN Gateways Work to Enable Secure Access

VPN gateways work by creating encrypted tunnels between a user’s device and the corporate network, ensuring that sensitive information travels safely over the public internet. They rely on various security protocols to establish a trusted link, often using an encryption key to lock down data packets as they move back and forth.

In many setups, the VPN server authenticates a remote worker through established credentials, confirming identity before granting them permission to securely access internal resources. Once inside, the VPN gateway security measures monitor network traffic to attempt to maximize connectivity and encrypt data in motion.

Despite these protective measures, the inherent flaws of a VPN gateway become evident as organizations scale and bring on more remote employees or expand to remote locations. Traditional site-to-site VPN solutions often struggle with performance and visibility issues, which can make them less flexible in adapting to emerging threats.

Common Use Cases for VPN Gateways

VPN gateways have historically played a major role in connecting people and devices, although certain use cases are starting to feel outdated given today’s sophisticated security demands. Below are four situations in which a secure VPN gateway might still be deployed, yet each is under scrutiny as more organizations move toward alternative approaches:

• Protecting in-office workers: Companies sometimes use VPN gateways to control how on-site employees access internal systems. However, as the landscape evolves, traditional VPN tunnels are falling out of favor, with more proactive methods of verification seeing increased adoption.
• Facilitating remote access VPNs: When teams work outside the office, a virtual private network may grant a path into data centers or shared resources. Today, though, remote access with VPN often can’t match the granularity of identity-centric, context-aware models.
• Connecting branch offices (site-to-site VPN): Remote offices historically relied on permanent VPN connections to link in-house servers and local networks. These fixed network connections can be difficult to manage and increasingly feel like an outdated approach.
• Supporting legacy apps: Many older applications aren’t cloud-ready and use a VPN gateway for basic security and encryption. Even so, modern solutions offer better controls without forcing all traffic through a perimeter-based structure.

VPN Gateways: Risks, Limitations, and Performance Issues

Although VPN gateways have long served various security purposes, they come with several drawbacks that can hinder an organization’s overall posture. Below are a few common concerns:

• Over-reliance on perimeter: Focusing on a single entry point leaves systems vulnerable if the gateway is compromised.
• Limited visibility: Traditional VPN service implementations are unable to determine exactly who is accessing which resource, making forensic or optimization efforts a challenge.
• Performance bottlenecks: VPN encryption plus the re-routing of data often introduces latency and inefficiencies, especially as user demand skyrockets.
• Complex scaling: Adding new remote locations or remote employees quickly becomes cumbersome with layered network configurations that aren’t designed to expand gracefully.

VPN Gateways vs. Zero Trust Security

Organizations are increasingly comparing traditional VPN gateways with a modern zero trust approach. Below is a quick look at how they match up:

Why Identity-Centric Zero Trust Is Better

Zero trust goes well beyond simply encrypting data; it insists on strict verification of every device and user before granting access. Under this framework, each connection request is scrutinized dynamically to confirm that it poses no risk, thereby reducing the odds of a breach. Furthermore, an identity-focused design breaks away from the idea that “once you’re in, you’re trusted,” a concept that has long hampered traditional VPN setups.

For enterprises seeking maximum protection, zero trust ensures policy enforcement at all times from any location, thereby minimizing attack surfaces. Whether users are on-premises or working from a remote location, enterprises benefit from continuous authentication that checks context and user privileges, rather than funneling traffic through a single perimeter. This approach is not only more resilient but also more efficient, allowing for greater clarity into threat detection and incident response.

Zscaler Zero Trust Replaces VPN Gateways

Zscaler replaces traditional VPN gateways with a modern, identity-centric zero trust approach that eliminates the inherent vulnerabilities and limitations associated with legacy VPN solutions. 

Rather than relying on perimeter-focused, network-centric security, Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) leverages granular, AI-powered user-to-app segmentation to securely connect users directly to applications without ever placing them on the corporate network. By adopting Zscaler's cloud native Zero Trust Exchange platform, organizations can:

• Minimize cyber risk: Eliminate lateral movement and reduce attack surfaces by connecting users directly to applications instead of the network.
• Enhance user experience: Provide fast, seamless, and consistent access from any location or device, without performance bottlenecks.
• Simplify IT management: Easily manage and scale secure access policies through a unified, cloud-delivered solution, removing complex VPN infrastructure.
• Improve visibility and control: Gain detailed, real-time insights into user activity and application access, enabling faster threat detection and response.

To see how Zscaler can modernize your secure access strategy and replace outdated VPN gateways, request a demo.

Additionally, be sure to check out our blog series on why it’s not too late to ditch your VPN.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3